Green Eyed Goddess
by MsLilyEvans
Summary: James and Lily have finally become friends. His passion for her has not dwindled, but Lily only thinks of James as a friend. In this world of jealousy, teenagers flirt and kiss the one person that they know will make the other jealous.
1. Chapter 1: Purple Nail Polish

**I've finally decided to post this story here as well as on HPFF. I hope the people over here like it as much as the people over there do xD**

**I think update will come faster over here because there is no need to wait for validation. So look here first! **

Chapter One: Purple Nail Polish

Lily Evans clambered into the backseat of her parents car next to her sister Petunia and closed the door. Unknown to their parents, Petunia sneered disdainfully at Lily and thought, '_Finally, we get to get rid of you, my freak little sister. I waited all summer for this_.'

Lily looked out the car window as the car pulled out of the drive and the corners of her eyes started to prickle. She knew she should have learned to put up with her sister after six years, but it still hurt her feelings.

When they arrived Mr. and Mrs. Evans turned in their seats to look at their daughters.

Lily, small and elegant, her ginger hair cascading over her shoulders, and Petunia, rather tall and lanky, her short blonde hair curling beneath her ears as she sneered at her sister.

"Petunia, are you going to come into the station to say goodbye to Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked gently. Lily stiffened slightly.

"No, I'll just say goodbye to her here," Petunia said in her most innocent voice. "I want to finish my letter to Vernon." She held up her piece of paper and pen. Mrs. Evans sighed and she and her husband got out of the car.

Lily stepped out of the car, her long red hair flying around her face, and looked up at the large sign above her. "Kings Cross Station" it said. She sighed happily. She was going back to Hogwarts and she loved it there.

"Lily honey," her mother said, "let's go in. We don't want you to miss the train."

"Alright," Lily sighed again. She slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her trunk and followed her parents into the station.

After she and her things vanished through the barrier, she was almost immediately engulfed by the mass of curly blonde hair that was her friend Emily. They both screamed, Lily from surprise, Emily from happiness.

"Emily!"

"Lily!"

Emily wrapped her arms around her friend and squealed with excitement.

"Hi," Lily said squeakily; Emily was holding her so tightly she could barely speak.

"Hi Lily!" Emily squealed again. "I missed you so much!"

Lily and Emily released each other and began to walk towards the train, chatting happily about their summers.

"I'm Head Girl this year," Lily told Emily with a grin as they heaved their luggage into the overhead bins.

"Really? That's awesome! Do you know who the Head Boy is?"

"No, but I hope it's someone nice."

They sat down opposite each other and Lily reached into her book bag. Emily groaned.

"Which text book are you reading this time? Potions?"

"I am reading a novel, thank you very much." Lily retorted

Emily smirked at her. "What's it called?"

The train's whistle blew and Lily looked out the window.

"I'll be right back, I have to say goodbye to my parents." Lily said as she picked up her bag and stuffed her book back inside.

Emily snorted after Lily walked out. "It's totally a textbook."

"Is not!"

"Whatever!"

Emily watched Lily through the window until she disappeared into the crowd and pulled out a bottle of purple nail polish. She had painted only three fingers when the compartment door flew open and two people with messy black hair threw themselves into the room. "Hullo James," Emily said without looking up "Hullo Sirius."

"How'd you know it was us?" James asked her as he ruffled his hair.

"Because you've done this every year since we were eleven."

Sirius sat down next to Emily and put his arm on the top of the seat behind her. Emily's heart leapt up into her throat and she blushed. Hopefully, no one noticed. James settled himself in Lily's old seat and proceeded to stare out the window.

The compartment door opened again and a sandy haired person walked in, his nose in a book.

"Hey Remus," Emily said loudly and he looked up.

"Hi Emily," he buried his nose in his book again.

"Wow, since when are you into reading?" Sirius said sarcastically; Remus gave him a withering glance and went back to his book.

Emily giggled and prodded Sirius in the shoulder. He looked at her and she pointed across the compartment.

"Look at James," she whispered, obviously trying to suppress a grin.

He was staring out the compartment window, wistfully watching a certain red-head hugging her parents.

"Obsessed much?" Sirius whispered back to her and she let out a loud cackle that caused James to sit up and run his hand through his hair nervously.

"I wasn't watching her," he said hastily.

Emily laughed harder and collapsed on her seat. "Never said you were, Prongs," Sirius said, grinning widely. James grunted as the compartment door slid open, and Lily walked in. She looked surprised.

"What are you lot doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too Lily!" Sirius flashed her a grin and she rolled her eyes.

Emily's giggled again. "Well, aren't you the absolute _king_ of sarcasm today Mr. Black?" she teased. "Want some polish Lily?"

"Thanks," Lily grabbed the bottle of purple nail polish and turned to sit, but stopped short when she saw James.

"Potter,"

James grinned up at her but his smile faltered when he saw the look on her face. "Hi Lily. You look nice today."

She crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling. "You're sitting in my seat. I need it back."

James immediately jumped up. "I-I-I'm sorry Lily, I didn't know it was your seat," he stuttered

Lily was surprised. She had expected him to act like the egotistic pinhead that he usually was and refuse to give her seat back. As she went to sit down, she gave him a small smile. '_A small smile, but a smile nonetheless.' _James told himself hopefully as he sat down across from her.

Lily glanced at Emily whose face had cracked into a wide grin; Lily rolled her eyes. She tapped the nail polish with her wand to change it pink and Emily pulled out a new bottle; this time dark blue. Sirius grabbed it.

"Sirius! Give it back!" Emily snatched at the bottle.

"Can I paint your nails? Please?" Sirius begged.

Emily sighed "Oh fine, but just my toes."

But before he could start, the train let out a loud whistle and started to pull out of the station. Emily immediately leapt up from her seat and threw herself against the window in an attempt to get it open. Lily jumped up and tried to help her.

"Ah, damn window!" Emily yelled, frustrated. Lily smacked her hand on the glass and swore loudly.

Sirius got to his feet, reached past the struggling girls, and pulled the window easily open. He laughed as Emily gave him a mock glare and stuck her tongue out at him. He copied her and she turned to wave out the window with Lily.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" Emily screamed as Lily blew kisses to her parents, "See you at Christmas!"

And that was how Lily Evans' began her final year at Hogwarts.

**I'll get chapter 2 up very soon. I have up to chapter 8 written, but maybe I'll wait a few days, or weeks. Just to taunt you poor people who haven't read it on HPFF xD**


	2. Chapter 2: California Girl

**Ok. So I'm giving in. I'm posting all the chapter up to chapter 7 right now. I hope you're happy. xD**

Last Chapter:

_"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" Emily screamed as Lily blew kisses to her parents, "See you at Christmas!"_

_And that was how Lily Evans' began her final year at Hogwarts._

Chapter 2: California Girl

They both continued to wave frantically until they lost sight of the platform. Then they both plopped back into their seats.

Lily swiped her hair behind her ears and looked around the compartment. She had just realized the implications of sitting with the Marauders for the train ride. She felt rather sick.

"Emily," Lily said cautiously to her friend; James looked at her curiously.

Emily continued to laugh at something Black had said so Lily repeated herself, more loudly.

"Emily!"

Emily turned, to smile at her friend, "What Lily?"

"I need to talk to you," Lily said seriously but when Emily continued to look at her expectantly, she hastily added, "_outside_."

"Oh, right," Emily giggled

Lily stood up, grabbed her friend by the wrist, pulled her up from her seat next to Sirius, and yanked her out of the compartment. Emily waved cheekily to the boys and shut the door.

"Erm, ok," Sirius said

"That was weird" James agreed, "Do ya'know why they left Moony?"

Remus looked up from his book with an exasperated look on his face. "Because Lily probably doesn't want to sit with us," he thought for a second, "no, wait, she doesn't want to sit with you two."

"Why?" James whined

"You know why Prongs," Sirius smirked

James whined again "But _why_?"

"Maybe you should be nicer to her," Remus suggested patiently, "act more mature. Or ask to be friends."

James widened his eyes at Sirius who shrugged back.

Then he looked skeptically at Remus. "Yeah, right. Like I would ask her to be friends with me. She'd probably slap me or something."

"You don't know that. She might be waiting for you to get your act together and ask to be friends." Remus smiled slyly.

James' heart lightened and he grinned. "All right then. I will."

After Emily slid the door shut behind them she turned to her friend, feeling concerned.

"Lily what's wrong? Is everything ok?"

Lily let out a frustrated sigh. "Emily, I don't want to sit with them."

"Why not? They're really nice!"

"I don't like them!" Lily whispered fiercely. "Well, except Remus, he's ok, but Potter and Black!" she groaned angrily and clenched her fists. "I honestly don't know why you like them."

"Oh come on Lily. Once you get to know them, I'm sure you'll like them very much." Emily said slyly

"But—Emily—" Lily stuttered but her blonde friend placed her fingers over her mouth.

"Just relax, be yourself! Engage in the conversation, make a few jokes, compliment someone, ask some questions, tell them about Petunia, everything you talk about with me. Just don't talk about your boobs and stuff like we do."

Lily grinned from behind Emily's fingers. "Ok fine. I'll try to be nice."

Emily lowered her hand "Good. Now let's go sit down."

When they returned Emily asked "So Sirius, how exactly were you able to open that window when we couldn't?" She sat down, crossing her arms.

He put his hands behind his head, "Well, I had a little help from the corner over there, "he nodded toward James who twirled his wand between his fingers and grinned. "Plus, you guys needed a little help and I wanted to be _impressive_." He brushed his hair back then shook his head like a dog.

Emily laughed happily and punched him good-naturedly on the arm.

Lily watched her laughing friend and took a deep breath trying to remember the advice she had given her.

"So," She stiffly said to the room at large "Any interesting new developments over the summer?"

"I went to visit my cousins," Emily said glumly as Sirius clumsily painted her big toe, "The ones in California."

"Is that a bad thing?" Remus looked up from his book, "I thought California was nice. You lived there when you were little didn't you?"

Sirius nearly spilled the nail polish.

Emily ignored him. "Sure its nice, but my cousins aren't. They're all muggles. They don't get me. And about half of them don't know about magic at all!"

"You lived in California?" Sirius asked her, shocked. "But you're British!"

"My mum is from here and my _dad_ is from California. We lived there until I was ten; then moved here because my Mum wanted me and my brother to go to Hogwarts like she did. We checked out the schools over there but she said that they were nothing compared to this place," Emily explained, "and she was right too!"

"Didn't you miss your friends?" James asked her messing up his hair again, "You were only ten."

"Well yeah. But I met you guys." Emily said casually, "How 'bout you Lily-flower? What did you do this summer?"

"Like you don't know Emily. I wrote you every weekend." Lily rolled her eyes at her blonde friend.

"Well, _they_ don't know." Emily nodded her head in James' direction. "I'm sure that-"

"Emily, I have to go to the prefects meeting." Lily interrupted, standing up hastily, "I'm in charge, alongside whoever is head boy so I can't miss it. Come'on Remus, lets go." She tossed the bottle of nail polish to Emily who caught it and stuffed it in her bag, threw the compartment door open and walked out followed by Remus and, for some reason, James.

When they reached the Prefects compartment Lily turned but stopped short when she saw James. "What are your doing here Potter? You're not allowed in the Prefects meeting."

"Actually I am," he said slyly.

"Oh really," said Lily sarcastically, "and why is that?"

"Because I'm head boy," he replied leaning casually against the wall. "That's why"

Lily almost choked. "You can't be serious?" she gasped at him.

"That's because I'm James. Sirius is still in the-"

Lily cut him off "How would _you_ of all people be chosen for head boy? Oh, Dear God..." She turned around and stalked into the compartment, slamming the door behind her.

James sighed. "Does she really hate me that much Moony?"

"I'm sure she doesn't. She was just surprised, that's all. And don't forget to wear your badge." Remus pulled his own badge out of his pocket, pinned it to the front of his robes, thumped James on the back and went into the compartment.

James stood in the hallway thinking. _'Maybe I should get her something. Like chocolates. Or flowers! Girls like flowers. I could get her Lilies! I hope she likes them. Or maybe-'_

"Get in here Potter!" a sharp voice interrupted his thoughts "If you're want to be Head Boy your going to have to attend the meetings!"

James followed Lily into the compartment and sighed. _'This is going to be one hell of a year.'_

**A/N: _Please _find it in your hearts to leave me a review. I love reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3: Maybe

Ok. Here is chapter 3. Please review!

Last Chapter:

_"Get in here Potter!" a sharp voice interrupted his thoughts "If you're want to be Head Boy your going to have to attend the meetings!"_

_James followed Lily into the compartment and sighed. 'This is going to be one hell of a year.'_

Chapter 3: Maybe

"_Lily Potter. Lily Evans-Potter. That sounds nice. But what if she wants to keep her last name? Then she'd still be Lily Evans. Bugger."_

James stared blankly at Lily, his eyes glazed over and a stupid smile on his face. Remus nudged him in the ribs but he didn't notice.

"You will patrol the corridors regularly, and _always_ with a partner. Most likely, you will be paired with the other prefect from you own house. Do you have any-" Lily paused and crossed her arms "James?"

She waved her hand in front of his face. Nothing. One of the new prefects giggled and Lily smiled at her briefly.

She snapped her fingers in his face a few times "Potter. Hello? Earth to Potter? Are you there? Hello?"

She tapped his face lightly with her hand and he immediately grabbed her wrist, coming out of his trance. She yelled and the Prefects laughed.

Lily yanked her hand away from him and turned back to the 15 year olds surrounding her.

"As I was saying, do you have any questions?"

They all muttered "No" or shook their heads and Lily said cheerfully, "All right then! You can go."

The small room filled with the sounds of shuffling feet and quiet chatter, though moments later it was completely empty except for James, Lily, and Remus.

"Why do you even bother coming to these meetings Moony?" James said "Everyone besides us three were fifth years." He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"Well," Remus said slowly, "That would be because none of the other sixth or seventh year Prefects are responsible enough to show up for the meetings."

Lily smiled at him and said, "I'm glad you came."

James snapped his head and stared intently at Lily. _'She doesn't like Moony does she?' _he thought frantically.

"What about me?" he asked, his hand jumping to his hair, "Are you glad _I_ came?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Not really."

His heart lifted and sunk simultaneously. She didn't like Moony, but she sure as hell didn't like him either.

"Oh," he looked at his hands, "Sorry."

Again, Lily was surprised. Just as before, she had expected him to say something stupid or big-headed, which usually made her mad. And again, he was polite.

Lily stared dazedly at James until Remus said "Uh, I'm going back to our compartment ok?" He got up and left the room leaving, Lily and James alone.

Lily snapped out of her daze and turned to leave but James stopped her. "Lily?" He asked timidly.

She looked at him and he said "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lily hesitated. Usually James was crazy, loud and obnoxious but today he seemed different. In a good way.

"Sure," Lily murmured

She sat down opposite James and there was an awkward silence.

Then James tried to clear his throat and said "Why do you hate me Lily?"

Lily twisted her hands in her lap. "I don't hate you."

"You don't?" His voice sounded hopeful.

"I don't. You're just really annoying sometimes." She said bluntly

"I'm sorry." He said, "If I stopped being so annoying would you give me a chance?"

Lily crossed her arms. "Maybe." She said

"Maybe?" he asked hopefully

"Maybe." She said again, this time smiling.

James stood up. "We should get back. They'll be waiting for us.

When they returned to their compartment Emily, Remus, and Sirius had changed into their Hogwarts robes and uniforms. Emily's nails had been clumsily painted and now Sirius was separating her hair into pigtails. She grinned when a smiling Lily and James opened the door. Remus looked up and continued to pick lint off his robes and Sirius ignored them completely. He was very concentrated on Emily's hair, his tongue poking out from between his teeth.

"Hi guys," Emily said cheerfully, "You should probably get into your robes; we'll be arriving any minute now.

"All right. I'll just go to the loo and change there." Lily grabbed her bag and slipped out the door.

James collapsed into a seat.

"Oh my god, Moony, it worked! It worked, it worked!" he cried, his hands in the air.

"It worked?" Sirius said excitedly

"What worked?" Emily asked curiously but her voice was lost amidst shouts of "It worked!" from Sirius and James as they pranced in circles around her.

She crossed the room to sit next to Remus and looked bewilderedly him.

"I told James that if he asked Lily to be friends she might like him more," he explained

Emily gasped "Really? Oh James that's wonderful! I knew she'd come 'round!"

She then proceeded to dance around with James and Sirius.

When Lily returned to the compartment, now robes and uniform clad, she found her friends up and getting ready to leave the train. James had, at some point in time, gone to change as well and was now retrieving his trunk from the overhead bin.

When Lily reached for hers he grabbed her forearm. "Allow me," he said in a rather debonair tone of voice and gave her a mock bow. She giggled and he smiled broadly back as he placed her trunk on the floor.

Behind both of their backs, Emily and Sirius grinned at each other.

Unknown to any of them, it had started raining, harder and harder and they neared Hogwarts. It happened so gradually that none of them noticed.

But when they dragged their trunks to the door of the train they noticed; they _definitely_ noticed.

By then it was pouring so hard that first years were practically being driven into the ground like railroad spikes. James laughed at the thought.

Lily had grabbed her coat and was now bundling herself up very tightly and waterproofing her trunk; Emily on the other hand was staring unhappily out into the rain.

"Well, this sucks." She whined. "None of us have umbrellas! How will we get to a carriage without getting completely soaked?" Sirius laughed.

"This is how, darling Emily!" He then made a grand sweeping motion with his wand, said, "_repello unda_" and stepped out into the rain completely dry. Rain droplets were rolling off the invisible umbrella of air that was now floating above his head. He let out another bark like laugh.

Lily laughed too. "Oh I forgot you were in advanced charms with me. I forgot about that spell too." After stowing her trunk on the rack beside the door, she imitated him and started walking towards the carriages.

"Wait!" James called after her. She turned and he ducked down to join her in her little dry patch, and they shuffled off towards the carriages, trying not to trip on each other's feet and blushing profusely.

A/N: okie Doke. Chapter 4, coming right up!


	4. Chapter 4: Great to be Back

**I have no idea what to say here.**

Last Chapter:

_"Wait!" James called after her. She turned and he ducked down to join her in her little dry patch, and they shuffled off towards the carriages, trying not to trip on each other's feet and blushing profusely.  
_

Chapter 4: Good to be back

When the 5 seventh-years stepped into the Entrance Hall they were all in high spirits. The air inside the Entrance Hall was warm and cheerful and there was happy chatter all around them.

"Great to be back isn't it?" Sirius grinned at happily James. "Too bad its our last year."

"No, no, make it stop!" Emily groaned and covered her ears. "I will never leave, _never_!"

Lily laughed at this. James loved it when she laughed; she always looked so pretty and content. He looked at her and their eyes met. She blushed and looked away as the crowd of students began to move slowly into the Great Hall.

Moments later, when they had reached the Gryffindor table, James slid into the seat across from Lily. Remus and Sirius sat on either side of him, Sirius across from Emily.

Then, suddenly, a sixth person sat down next to Lily.

It was Peter.

"Hey Pete! Where you been?" Sirius asked him, reaching across the table to punch his fist (do they do that in the 70's? lol).

"Well," Peter smiled mischievously, "I was with my _girlfriend_,"

"Oooh," Emily said grinning, "Who is she? Is she in our year?"

"Her name's Melissa Clearwater," he replied happily, "You know, that one Ravenclaw with the twin brother named Mark? That's her."

Lily she smiled at him. "She's lovely. I'm glad she likes you." Peter blushed happily.

Then, unexpectedly, the doors of the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall came in through them followed by a crowd of anxious looking first years. The entire Hall went silent as she led them to the front of the room so that they could see a patched and frayed wizard's hat sitting on a three-legged stool.

* * *

Two hours later, full of food and very sleepy, Lily collapsed onto the crimson bedspread of her four-poster bed. Emily sighed dramatically and fell down next to her. She grabbed Lily's face.

"Oh, Fair Lillian! That heart that beatest so fierce within my noble breast hath tired for the final hour! I cannot lever my weary form to travel to my cradle of sleep! Prithee, may I rest beside thee this night, 'til the sun doth shine upon thy brow?"

Lily laughed and shoved Emily away. "Go sleep in your own bed Emily,"

Emily rolled away and fell off the bed and on to the floor laughing hysterically as a tall dark-skinned girl entered the room, her long braids swinging around her shoulders.

Grinning, she walked to Emily and said, "You're nutters, do ya know that Brown?"

Emily just continued to laugh and the girl nudged her with her foot.

"Hi Jessie," Lily groaned from her bed. She had now rolled over and her hair was fanned out around her head and her eyes were shut.

"'ello Lily," Jessie said cheerily, as two more girls entered the room. One had a glossy brown bob; the other had her straight-as-a-pin black hair in a high ponytail.

"Hi guys," Emily giggled from the floor. She waved with her fingers.

The girl with brown hair, Stephanie, bounded across the room and bounced onto her bed. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked down at Emily.

"Hi!" She replied happily. They both giggled.

The other girl, Vivian, rolled her heavily lidded eyes and sauntered over to her bed and sank into her pillows.

Vivian was a very solemn and mysterious most of the time. She had a rather deep voice (for a girl anyway) and she liked to read a lot. Stephanie, on the other hand, was bouncy, perky and sporty and she loved to dance and be flirty. Lily had no idea how they had become best friends, but she knew for a fact they were two of the nicest people in the whole world.

Jessie was a different kind of sporty; she was tough and powerful, but graceful and kindly at the same time. She had always been nice to Lily, and she was the oldest person in their year (almost 18 already, no one is sure how that happened). She was tall, muscular and Captain of the Quidditch Team.

As for Emily…….Wow. She was so great. She was always there when Lily needed her, and she always knew when to be happy, sad, angry, protective, or silly. She was Lily's best friend in the whole world, and to Lily, she was irreplaceable.

"I am so tired." Vivian sighed, in her deep voice.

"God, I know!" Stephanie agreed. She rolled over onto her back. She stuck her feet up in the air and wiggled her toes.

Lily opened her eyes and sat up. "I'm going to put my pajamas on ok?" she said drowsily.

"No need to ask out permission," Emily said brightly, sticking her head out from under Lily's bed. Jessie and Stephanie giggled appreciatively.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Lily said sarcastically. She wandered over to her chest of drawers and pulled the second drawer, where she kept her pajamas and socks. All of her belongings had been magically unpacked and sorted into their proper drawers. She reached inside and pulled out her favorite pajamas; a pair of pale green plaid pants and a matching tank top.

As she slipped them on, her dorm-mates pulled out their own pajamas. Jessie's were light yellow, Vivian's deep blue, and Stephanie's hot pink. Emily's were white with little broomsticks all over them. She sauntered around the room showing them off and making the girls laugh as they climbed into bed.

Lily snuggled down into her blankets and buried her face into her pillow. Jessie pointed her wand at the ceiling and the light went out.

For awhile, Lily found herself unable to sleep, despite her tiredness. She was thinking about her day, her sister, Emily, school and, though she did not want to admit it, James Potter. He had been much nicer today than he had in the past, maybe something had happened to him that make him different.

She decided that she liked this new James much better. She knew if was only the first day of "New James" but she liked him quite a bit.

Lily smiled to herself as she dug even deeper within her covers and thought, '_Yes, I like this 'new James' very much._'

**A/N: Yay! Next chapter up soon!!!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5: Lily's Surprise

**A/N: yeah, I took a few more hours to post this one, I got bored. And Just to remind you all: After I get to chapter 7, reviews WILL NOT BE THIS FAST. All these chapters have been posted on HPFF already, so the updates were fast. **

Last Chapter:

_She decided that she liked this new James much better. She knew if was only the first day of "New James" but she liked him quite a bit. _

_Lily smiled to herself as she dug even deeper within her covers and thought, '__Yes, I like this 'new James' very much.__'_

Chapter 5: Lily's Surprise

The next morning as Emily was quietly eating her breakfast of blueberry pancakes a dark-haired gentleman slid into the seat across from her and plucked her syrup covered fork from her hand.

Emily's eyes snapped up from her plate but when she saw who it was she broke into a grin.

"Why hello Mr. Potter!" she said cheekily, smirking up at him. "How are you this _fine_ day?"

"Absolutely lovely Miss Brown," he replied, his eyes twinkling, "and how are _you_ today?"

She opened her mouth to reply but before she could say more than "I-" a pair of hands covered her eyes and a voice behind her said, "Guess who?"

Emily rolled her eyes, even though no one could see, and said, "Sirius…."

The hands pulled away and he came into view beside her.

"Aww, how'd you know it was me?" He asked, pretending to pout. Seeing his childish expression, she reached up and pinched his cheek.

"Anyway," James said, ruffling his hair, "Seen Lily yet today?"

"Well, I would have said no," Emily replied looking at something over James' shoulder, "except she just walked in the hall."

James made to turn around but before he could an exceptionally cheerful looking Lily walked up and took a seat.

"Hello Lily!" James said cheerfully as she began to pile her plate with sausages and eggs.

She looked back up at him and smiled brightly, "Hello James!"

"What's got you so cheery Evans?" Sirius asked her questioningly as he shoveled kippers into his mouth.

"Yeah Lils," Emily propped her head up on her hand, "What is it?"

"Well," Lily smiled mischievously, "_I_ have a date."

James looked like he had just been slapped.

"What?" he asked her in disbelief, "You have a _date_?"

Lily smiled down at the piece of toast she was buttering, her face still glowing. Emily saw James' face and exchanged a worried look with Sirius over Lily's head. When Lily looked back up again Emily stuck a convincing smile on her face.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed to Lily, "Who is it? When did they ask you?"

James still gaped at her.

"Amos Diggory," Lily said bashfully, "He says he's liked me for a long time, but never had the courage to ask me out."

"Where are you going for the date?" Emily asked her, keeping the smile on her face.

Lily suddenly looked a bit discouraged,

"Well I don't yet," she frowned slightly, "He just asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend."

"His _girlfriend_?" James sputtered, "So…… your going steady with him?"

"Well I suppose," Lily looked thoughtful. Then she said, a hint of accusation in her voice, "Why do you care so much?"

James opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to speak, and Lily looked at him reproachfully, waiting for a reply until Emily spoke.

"He's just wondering Lily," She said, touching Lily's shoulder, casing her to turn, "I was going to ask that too. It's ok."

Lily was still getting used to James' presence and Emily knew that; it was only the first day back after all. She knew she had to say something to keep Lily from getting suspicious of him or else James would lose her trust completely.

"Ok Em…" Lily said trustingly, but when she turned back around James was gone.

* * *

James was furious, shocked, and he felt as though his stomach had filled with lead. He had run from the great hall moments ago not having any idea where he was headed. A thought passed through his brain that he should go to his next class. So he directed his feet towards the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.

'_I thought she liked me,_' he thought angrily, '_or she was starting to anyway. Stupid Diggory._'

He folded his arms angrily across his chest and continued to move briskly down the corridor until a hand touched his shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned.

He was facing a pale girl with shoulder length brown hair blue-ish hazel eyes. She was also somewhat short, but still taller than Emily and Lily.

"Are you alright?" She asked him looking concerned.

He knew her to be a Ravenclaw by the name of Natalia O'Leary. He knew who she was; they had just never spoken.

"I'm fine," he stammered, "I'm fine, just fine."

"Well you don't look fine," she said, "You look like you just been cuffed round the noggin!"

James scowled at the floor.

"Just love troubles ok?" he said to the large granite stones that floored the corridor, "I've just been 'turned down' if you could call it that."

He looked back up at Natalia; her eyes had widened and her mouth was forming the word "Oh,"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked into his hazel eyes searchingly. James felt like she was probing his thoughts; but then she spoke.

"What class do you have next?" she asked; he assumed that she was changing the subject and replied:

"Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts. I want to be an Auror," He said proudly.

She smiled at sadly, "I have Herbology.

"All right then," James said, "see you later?"

"All right," Natalia replied, as she turned to leave, "I hope Lily changes her mind!"

With a grin, she was gone.

**A/N: Please remember to leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Romantic Advice

Okie doke. Chapter 6 for your reading pleasure!

Last Chapter:

"_All right then," James said, "see you later?"_

"_All right," Natalia replied, as she turned to leave, "I hope Lily changes her mind!" _

_With a grin, she was gone._

Chapter 6: Romantic Advice

As Lily meandered upstairs to her next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, her thoughts were only of her new boyfriend: Amos Diggory.

She barely noticed Emily, trudging along beside her and looking worried, as she smiled blissfully and thought about what had happened that morning.

She had just been walking down the stairs in the Entrance Hall on her way to breakfast when Amos had approached her.

"Lily?" he had asked her uncertainly, "Can I talk to you?"

"_Sure!" she answered cheerfully._

_He took her hand gently and led her toward the corner near the large oak front doors. She blushed slightly at the contact._

"_Did you want to ask me something Amos?" she asked._

"_Yeah," he gulped and his Adam's Apple bobbed dramatically. He seemed to falter for a moment before he took a deep breath and blurted out:_

"_WillyoubemygirlfriendLilyplease?"_

_She blinked and said, "What was that?"_

"_Will you," he gulped again, "be my girlfriend?"_

_She stared at him for a moment and his face fell slightly. Then she smiled._

"_All right!" she said cheerfully, "That sounds lovely!"_

_He sighed in relief and wiped his forehead with his hanky. _

"_Brilliant," he said with a grin, "I suppose we'll have to go on a date though, to make it official."_

"_Oh, we'll arrange that later." Lily smiled again and he took her hand and kissed it. _

Lily sighed and Emily gave her a sharp look. Lily didn't notice.

* * *

James did not pay any attention during Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was to busy staring at Lily and feeling bitter.

He went over the events of the previous day in his head and repeatedly asked himself what he had done wrong. He had thought he had made it clear to her that he wanted a second chance because he _liked_ her. Then _why_ was she suddenly dating bloody Amos Dig-a-hole?

Maybe she had thought he just wanted to be friends with her. That was understandable, albeit disappointing.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to calm down. He was over reacting.

'_It is_ not _a big deal_,' he forced himself to think, and then buried his head in his arms, stifling a small sob.

As he looked at the smooth wood of his desk he tried again.

He _had_ asked her to give him a chance. He had then deduced that she had said yes, and that maybe she liked him back.

'_And how wrong I was,_' he thought miserably, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sirius slid into the seat across the row from Emily in Defense Against the Dark Arts and leaned over to speak to her. She leaned towards him so their heads were together, in the middle of the row.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered anxiously, "Should we just let Lily do what she wants or try to convince her-?"

"Do you suppose we could tell her Diggory is a pansy?" Sirius said hiding his grin unsuccessfully. Emily swatted his arm.

"No, I'm serious— don't even go there," she warned, as Sirius opened his mouth to tell her that she was not Sirius, _he_ was.

"She practically broke his heart and she has no idea! Look at him!" Emily whispered fiercely and they both glanced to the back of the room. James had buried his face in his arms.

"Broke his heart?" Sirius said skeptically, a little too loud, "I think she just made him mad."

"Shh!" Emily hissed her finger to her lips. Fortunately, no one looked around except Remus; Lily was paying close attention to Professor Greenhart, who was lecturing, and James appeared to be asleep.

Suddenly Sirius was hit in the back with a wad of parchment.

"Bloody-!" he yelled but caught himself. Professor Greenhart sent him a disapproving glance but there was a glint of laughter in her eyes. She had always been fond of the Marauders; sometimes the four of them would come to her classroom after classes for a cup of tea and a chat.

He bent down to pick up the airplane and twisted slightly in his seat to see Remus, three rows behind him, beside James. He was hurriedly taking notes as usual.

Sirius turned back and smoothed out the parchment:

_Let Lily do what she wants. She'll figure it out in time. _

Sirius tossed it casually to Emily who read it and then scribbled furiously on it. She folded it back up and threw it back to Remus who caught it mid flight.

Neither James nor Lily noticed anything.

* * *

After classes were over for the day James trudged up to the Defense classroom and went into Professor Greenhart's office door. He waited for a moment outside the door after he knocked. When she opened the door he said quickly, "Professor can I talk to you?"

She noticed the troubled look in his eyes and immediately offered a cup of tea.

"Yes please," he said weakly. She handed him his teacup once he took a seat in the chair across from her desk. He thanked her and took a sip.

"Now James," she said gently, "What is it that's bothering you?"

He looked down at his teacup. "Girl troubles."

"Oh," she said understandingly. She settled more comfortably into her wing-backed armchair and said, "Now, tell me, what is the problem?"

"There's this girl," he sighed, "I really like her." He then continued to explain how he felt and how he had thought she had liked him back.

When he had finished Professor Greenhart said, "I think you jumped to conclusions James."

He simply looked at her.

"Women are more complicated than you think, I thought you would know that my now." She smiled, "She probably has no idea that you like her. Judging by the way she was so excited to tell you about her date, she just wants to be your friend at the moment. Girls usually tell their close friends immediately when something exciting happens to them.

"I say you should take a breath, be her friend, and let her do what her heart tells her. Let her be herself and become close to her before you try to begin a romantic relationship. Is she does indeed like you back, she will realize eventually. Give her time; that is crucial. She won't like you right away no matter what you do; especially because you just became friends."

James smiled. He trusted Professor Greenhart and knew that if he followed her advice, he had a much better chances with Lily.

"Thanks Professor!" He said happily, "I do hope your right!" He drained his teacup in a single gulp and dashed from the room. She smiled after him and shut the door with her wand.

**A/N: Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Irresistible

**Okay. This is the last chapter I will be posting tonight. Be prepared to wait for the next one.**

Last Chapter:

"_Thanks Professor!" He said happily, "I do hope your right!" He drained his teacup in a single gulp and dashed from the room. She smiled after him and shut the door with her wand. _

Chapter 7: Irresistible

When James ambled back into the common room, his hands in his pockets and a calm look on his face Emily immediately ran up to him and put her hand on his forehead as if to check for a fever.

"Are you ok?" she asked in worry, "Why aren't you upset?"

James laughed. Emily looked confused.

"I talked to Greenhart," he explained as Remus joined them, "She told me to calm down and just be her friend."

"I could have told you that!" Emily said indignantly, "Why didn't you ask me for help? Or Remus even, he probably would have known that!"

When James looked at him he nodded as if to say, '_Yep, she's right._'

Emily continued, "Well, that was the freakiest mood-swing I've ever seen. This morning you were all depressed and now you're all happy!" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, "Are you _pregnant_?"

James let out a hoot of laughter. He bent down and grabbed Emily around the legs and hoisted her over his shoulder.

She screamed and laughed, kicking and beating her fists on his back as he walked around the common room.

"James Potter!" Emily shrieked, "Put me down this instant!" James just laughed.

Just then, Sirius came down from the Boys Dormitories. He looked startled for a moment before letting out a bark like laugh and bounding over to them.

"Sirius!" Emily cried, laughing hysterically at the same time, "Help me!"

Lily chose that moment to join them as well. She walked in through the portrait hole and when she saw them she screamed, "Ah!" and walked back out. This only made Emily laugh harder.

James deposited a still cackling Emily in Sirius's arms and went to follow Lily out of the portrait hole.

* * *

Sirius clutched Emily around the shoulders and supported her legs with one arm as she lay weakly in his arms giggling uncontrollably, her head lolling back. As he held her shaking form, he felt his heart flutter softly. He blinked several times, this feeling was unexpected; he had never felt this way about anyone. He looked down at her laughing face and he knees weakened slightly.

Emily reached up and ruffled his hair.

"What's with the face? Are you ok Sirius?" she sobered a little. Then he grinned mischievously at her and released his grip around her shoulders so she was hanging upside-down from his arms. She let out a shrill scream and placed her hands on the ground. Sirius laughed at her. She was so cute sometimes.

Wait a minute. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Since when did he think stuff like that about

* * *

James stepped outside the common room to catch up to Lily but he found her not alone. She was standing next to a certain Amos Diggory and holding his hand. When James exited the portrait hole, they both looked up.

"Hey James," Lily smiled at him, "What…exactly were you guys…doing in there?" She looked bewildered. It was incredibly cute.

James laughed lightly.

"We were just messing around," he said, gesturing behind him, "You know, being crazy, scaring first years."

Lily laughed delightfully. Amos looked resentful, but James ignored him.

"Come on in Lily," James said, "We won't do anything to you, I promise." He winked at her flirtatiously. Lily laughed again. Amos looked a little angry.

"Come on Lily!" James grabbed her elbow and pulled her toward the portrait. Her skin was warm and soft to the touch.

"Ok, ok," she laughed, "Just a second," she pulled her elbow out of his grasp. His hand felt cold at the loss of contact.

"I'll see you later Amos, kay?" she said quietly to him.

"Ok Lily," he glanced up a James for a moment, a hint of a smirk on his lips, and then he leaned down and kissed Lily's cheek.

James felt his face begin redden, so he turned away and tried to walk nonchalantly back to the portrait hole. He put a hand on his face to calm himself. He knew Amos was doing it on purpose; to make him jealous.

He heard Lily whisper, "Bye," and then she walked up beside him, blushing furiously a shy smile on her face.

* * *

Lily smiled bashfully as she walked up to the still open portrait hole beside James, extremely happy that Amos had just kissed her. Well, he hadn't really kissed her, he'd just pecked her cheek, but she was happy nonetheless.

She smiled up at James to see his face looking strained and a little upset.

"Are you ok James?" She asked him as they clambered into the common room, "Is something wrong?"

He turned and smiled at her and said, "No, no, everything's fine."

"Lily!" a voice called from the other side of the common room. They both looked over to see Emily tottering around the common room on her hands, Sirius holding her feet so she didn't fall over.

Lily squealed with laughter and clapped her hands together. She ran over to them and dropped down beside her crazy friend.

"What are you doing?" she laughed, "You're mental!"

Emily laughed for a moment and then looked up towards Sirius.

"Sirius," she said, "I think my face is turning purple. Can you let me down now?"

He chuckled and let go of her ankles. She fell on top of Lily. They both screamed and cackled from the floor, tear streaming from Emily's eyes.

"There's lots of screaming going on here." Remus said with a smirk from his place on the sofa. "You ladies need to quiet down, or I may have to give you a detention." He waggled his finger at them.

Emily stuck her tongue out at him and Lily laughed again.

"I'm going to the library Em," she said, "I have some homework I want to get done. I just came back to get my bag from the dormitory. Coming with?"

"Yeah," Emily said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "I'll come."

As they climbed up the stairs to their dormitory Sirius watched Emily laughing and smiling as she disappeared into the dark at the top of stairs and thought about her. Even long after she had vanished he thought about how she made him feel. He didn't really understand, he had certainly never felt like this about anyone before. He had, of course, dated some girls, but he had never felt anything for any of them, never anything more than a peck on the cheek.

But for Emily, he wanted more than that. He wanted to kiss her, to touch her… to love her. He suddenly found her….irresistible.

* * *

Later on that night, long after the girls had left, Remus went over to James and spoke to him.

"What did Greenhart tell you?" he asked, "What _exactly_ did she say?"

"Well," James said slowly, "She said, er… give Lily space and let her date other people." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Now, James," Remus said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You know she's right. If you want Lily, you _have to let her be_."

James sighed heavily.

"Now, I'm not saying you _have_ to date other people," Remus said, "Just give her a chance to decide what _she_ wants. _Okay_?"

James sighed again. "Okay."

**A/N: Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Midnight Rendezvous

**Yays! Its chapter 8! -dances- It was up a little after the one on HPFF, but thats because I was on vacation. I hope you guys don't mind **

Last Chapter:

_"Now, I'm not saying you have to date other people," Remus said, "Just give her a chance to decide what she wants. Okay?"_

_James sighed again. "Okay."_

Chapter 8: Midnight Rendezvous

For Lily, the next few weeks were pure bliss. All of her classes were wonderful and her new found friendship with the Marauders was lovely, and to her astonishment she loved being around them.

She and Amos finally went on their date; first Hogsmeade weekend, they went to a charming little place called Madam Puddifoot's. Lily was in absolute heaven.

After an enjoyable Saturday with Amos, hours after everyone else had gone to bed, Lily had the sudden urge to have a bath in the swimming pool like tub in the prefect's bathroom. She slipped into her bathrobe and fluffy slippers, not forgetting to bring her Head Girl badge, if Filch should cross her path.

She managed to make it all the way there without meeting anyone and whispered the password to the door, ("tersus balineum,") and slipped inside. The giggling mermaid in her portrait on the wall was sleeping peacefully.

Lily grabbed one of the fluffy towels from the corner and placed it beside the tub. She twisted all manner of knobs until the huge bath was full of bubbles and water. She stripped down and within seconds she was in the warm water.

She swam across a few times before settling in the corner of the tub. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

* * *

James rubbed his eyes wearily. 

He was having trouble sleeping, again. He sighed deeply and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He wanted to have a bath.

He decided he was going to use the Prefects bathroom. The tub was much bigger, and the bubbles in there were really nice. His favorites were the tiny greenish ones; they reminded him of Lily's eyes.

He didn't bother putting on a robe; he just pulled on his cloak. He snuck silently across the common room and out the portrait hole.

He crossed paths with no one on his way there. Once, he thought he heard Filch around a corner but he passed.

When he finally arrived at the bathroom he thought he caught a whiff of the perfumed bubbles. He shrugged his shoulders, thought, 'it's probably just from someone who was here earlier,' and slipped through the door shutting it quickly behind him.

There was a person in the bathtub. A person with red hair.

Lily heard the door close and whipped around.

"James!" she cried, and sank into the bubbly water so only her head was visible.

He quickly turned away and covered his eyes. "I'm sorry Lily! I didn't know anyone was in here." He couldn't rid his mind of the image of her long, wet, hair, sticking to her bare neck and shoulders.

"I-its ok," she stammered, "I'm just going to put my clothes back on. Don't look," she added warningly.

He chuckled silently; as if he would just turn around. He wasn't like that…. Sirius, on the other hand….

He heard her sigh and pull on her robe.

"Is it safe now?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood; his face must be bright red.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm dressed,"

He turned around and saw her smiling timidly at him, her wet hair all around her face.

"I'm really sorry Lily," he said, "I really didn't—"

She cut him off, "James, really, its fine," she blushed a little, "do, you want to…. to…um…" she wrung her hands nervously.

He looked at her expectant and confused as to what she was trying to say.

"Ok," she stopped stammering, "starting over,"

James grinned.

She took a deep breath, "I am going to go back to Gryffindor Tower now, do you want to walk with me?"

James pretended to think for a minute, "Alright. Just promise not to tell Diggory about any of this. He would probably bite my head off."

She laughed and reached down at the side of the bath to scoop up her towel. She threw it into the laundry basket in the corner.

"So," Lily said.

"Hey, I have something to show you," James grabbed the invisibility cloak from under his arm and shook it out.

"Bloody Hell!" Lily looked amazed, "is that what I think it is?"

"Language Lily!" James teased her, "yeah it is. An invisibility cloak."

"Wow," she reached out to touch it and he handed it to her. She looked at it for a moment then lifted her head.

"How does it work?" she asked curiously, "I've never seen one of these…."

"Here," he took it from her and threw it over himself. She gasped.

"Did that actually surprise you?" he asked, grinning, though still invisible, "I thought you would know what was going to happen.

She blushed deeply, "No, of course I knew! It was just incredible."

She still looked at the spot where he had disappeared, but he had crept around behind her silently; he had had lots of practice. He pinched her waist with both hands.

She shrieked and jumped around, her wet hair flying wildly. He laughed.

"James Potter!" she cried, swinging her hands around in mid-air, hoping to grab the cloak, or hit him. He wasn't sure which.

"Ok, ok!" he pulled the cloak off, still laughing. Lily was pouting, her cheeks flushed.

"That _wasn't_ funny," she pointed a finger at him.

"Yes it was,"

"No-it-was-not!" she swatted his arm playfully between each word.

"Admit it Lily, it was really—" he stopped suddenly, listening.

"What—?" Lily began but his hand flashed out to silence her. Her eyes widened.  
James quickly threw the cloak over them and pulled Lily with him to the corner.

One hand covered her mouth; the other held her around the shoulders.

"A-HA!" the maniacal old caretaker burst into the room holding out an accusing finger. "STUDENTS OUT OF—" he stopped and looked around.

"I know you're here somewhere…" he growled

Lily began to shake with suppressed laughter. James tightened his grip.

They stayed that way for nearly ten minutes while Filch glared about the room; Lily struggling to control her giggles, James clamping his hand over her mouth.

When he finally left, grumbling to himself, James turned Lily around to look at her; her face was turning red and she was biting down hard on her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Oh my god," she whispered, her voice wavering with her mirth, "that was so funny,"

He grinned at her apprehensively, "I have no idea why though. Why was that so funny to you?"

She lapsed into giggles.

He shook his head in mock-sadness, "You need to get out more Lils,"

He grabbed her by the shoulders when her head lolled back as she laughed exposing her neck. Oh, how badly he wanted to lean down and kiss her…….

He shook his head. No. she had a boyfriend. And she's not exactly on the alert either. It would be unfair.

He shook her gently. "Lily?" she looked at him for a moment, biting her lip again, then fell back into giggles.

James filled his mouth up with air then blew it out.

"Lily," he said sternly, hoping it would get her attention, "You are kind of incapacitated so I'm going to have to put a silencing charm on you and carry you back to the tower. Is that ok?"

She just laughed.

"Okay then," he sighed, putting the charm on her. As much as he loved the sound of her laugh, they couldn't get caught.

Then he bent down and caught her around the knees and lifted her up, holding her like a bride. His heart thumped viciously against his ribcage. Part of him hoped she couldn't feel it. Part of him hoped she did.

* * *

By the time they reached the common room, Lily had calmed down and was actually starting to get sleepy. She almost nodded off against James' chest. 

She wasn't exactly sure how she had ended up in his arms, but she was certainly glad he hadn't left her in the Prefects bathroom.

When she had finally stopped her hysterical laughter she hadn't bothered to tell him she could walk. She was too comfortable and she couldn't talk anyway.

Another thing she wasn't sure about was why she had gotten to giggly. Maybe the perfumes of the bath-bubbles made her go nuts.

When he set her back down in the common room and undid the charm she giggled nervously.

"Oh no," he said putting a hand on his head, "no more laughing!"

She put a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry. It wasn't really that funny. I think the bubbles I used in the bath made me a little loopy," she twirled a finger around her ear, "Maybe I'm still loopy. I can't tell."

He grinned at her and shook his head, "Any idea why you laughed in the first place?"

"Well," she twisted her hands, "I suppose it's because we wouldn't have gotten in trouble if we got caught,"

He looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Well," she bit her lip, smiling, "We're head Boy and Girl. I had my badge…."

"That's where your wrong missy," James pointed a finger at her, "Filch doesn't care. When we were in 3rd year I saw him drag the Head Boy by the ear past the closet I was hiding in."

Lily paled.

"Oh my gosh," she put her hands on her face, "I've been going out at night, I thought it was ok! We would have gotten in so much trouble….." she moaned.

"Lils, its ok. Just don't do it again without the cloak,"

"What? The cloak? You'd let me use it?" she looked out from between her fingers.

"Course," he ran a hand though his hair, "if you tell me where you're going."

She grimaced.

"Well, I'm not really at liberty to say,"

"Why not?" he looked confused again.

"It's not my secret to tell," she said explained, "Goodnight James."

She turned and started up the stairs and then stopped.

"Promise me you will never breathe a word of this to Amos."

He laughed and smiled at her, "Goodnight Lily,"

As soon as she disappeared at the top of the stairs, James threw himself on the sofa and put his head in his hands. What could she possibly be hiding?

**I hope you all like it! Chapter nine will be sent off to the beta after I finish writing chapter ten. That might be awhile because I just started high school, and I have lots of homework. Which is really lame.**


	9. Chapter 9: A Miniature Problem

**(A/N: **

**Chelsea: Yay! ****It's**** chapter nine! **

**James: ****About**** time you updated. **

**Sirius: Merlin, I know! That took bloody forever! **

**Remus: Well, it wasn't an incredibly long time. **

**Emily: Yes it was! **

**Chelsea: ****Gosh****, I'm sorry! hides under desk **

**Remus: attempts to pull Chelsea from under desk, but fails miserably **

**Chelsea: from under the desk The next chap will be faster… I hope. It'll be chapter nine part 2. Chapter nine is very long. **

**Emily: Awsome! What happens? **

**Chelsea: peeks out I'm not telling you! You have to find out! **

**Emily: humphs **

**Tally, a.k.a. the real Natalia: I LOVE YOU CHELSEA**** YOU'RE THE MOST AMAZING PERSON EVER AND I AM SO HAPPY YOU UPDATED SO I CAN LEAVE A LONG POINTLESS REVIEW!! **

**Everyone else: 00 **

**Emily: ****Ok**** then….. **

**Chelsea: ****Well****, on to the chap then!) **

Last Chapter:

"_Promise me you will never breathe a word of this to Amos."_

_He laughed and smiled at her, "Goodnight Lily,"_

_As soon as she disappeared at the top of the stairs, James threw himself on the sofa and put his head in his hands. What could she possibly be hiding?_

Chapter 9: A Miniature Problem

"Today, students, we will be making a variation of the Shrinking Solution, called the Reduction Potion that—yes, Miss Evans?"

"The Reduction Potion does not reverse the aging process as the Shrinking Solution does, but reduces the size of the object it is administered to. It is more powerful than the standard shrinking potion and is potentially dangerous ," Lily said. "It is also much more difficult to brew than the standard, because of the need for exact measurements, hard to find ingredients, and precise stewing periods."

Slughorn clapped his hands together. "Splendid Miss Evans. 20 points to Gryffindor!"

Lily beamed.

Emily muttered, "Smarty-pants," and Lily shoved her amiably.

"Now," Slughorn, "The instructions are on the board." He waved his wand and a piece of chalk flew into the air and began to write the directions. "The required ingredients are in the supply cupboard. You may pick your own partners. Get to it!"

Emily reached out and grabbed Lily's elbow. "He's letting us pick partners?" Her eyes were wide.

Lily laughed and said, "Yes Em, he is."

Emily's face broke into a devilish grin and she bounded off towards the back off the room to find Sirius.

Lily turned around and found herself face to face with Remus. She grinned at him.

"Partners?" she asked and stuck out her hand.

He took her hand and shook it, grinning. "Partners."

* * *

Lily wiped the sweat off her forehead and continued to stir their potion which was lime green, exactly the color it was supposed to be. Remus sat beside her, stirring some ingredients in a small bowl that they would add later. 

"Are you sure you don't want me to stir Lily?" he asked her, peering into her face. "You're really covered with sweat."

"No, I'm fine," she insisted, plugging her nose as Remus emptied the bowl into the cauldron and it turned bluish, smelling like rotten eggs.

Remus grabbed the stirring tool from her and blocked her from the potion with his back.

"My turn," he said lightly. "Why don't you start on that shrivelfig?"

Lily let out a playful "humph," before grabbing the required copper knife and the shrivelfig. Remus chuckled.

Sirius and Emily sat directly behind them and Lily listened to them argue happily while she absently skinned the bizarre object in her hands. Sirius wanted to stir their potion but Emily wouldn't let him.

"No Sirius," Emily scolded him, "I told you, I'm stirring."

"Emily," he whined, "I don't want to cut up the caterpillars. Please?" He poked her in the side with one finger."

"No!" she shrieked, laughing slightly. "Nuh-uh, I'm stirring this bloody potion until it—"

Then Sirius lunged to grab the wooden spoon Emily was stirring with (she had stolen from her mother's kitchen) and she scooted away quickly, holding the spoon in the air above her head. In her quick movement, she accidentally kicked the cauldron.

Emily and Sirius both froze as the cauldron began to tip towards Lily. Sirius reached out to grab it but it was too late.

The bright blue potion poured out of its container, splashing unnaturally high into the air and flowing swiftly towards Lily's feet. She turned in her seat and gasped as splattered all over her legs.

She looked into Sirius and Emily's stunned faces, her face mirroring theirs, for an instant before a huge puff of purple smoke enveloped her.

Everything she could see was purple. She took a breath, preparing to yell, but the smoke filled her lungs and started to cough.

She heard a scream that grew steadily louder, and then she blacked out.

* * *

Emily cried out and threw herself on the floor. She had seen Lily's silhouette drop to the floor before her vision filled with the purple smoke. She felt around the floor with her hands looking for her red-hair friend. 

A hand grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her back to her feet. She heard a voice in her ear.

"Be careful!"

The hand moved to grab her upper arm. When her vision cleared she saw that it belonged to Sirius.

She waved the smoke out of her face and looked anxiously around.

"Where's Lily?" she heard Remus say, a few feet from her.

That's when she saw the miniscule speck of orange-red on the floor.

She wrenched her arm out of Sirius' grasp and fell to the floor again. She crawled cautiously towards the speck of color the stood out against the grey stones.

"Lily?" she whispered and prodded the tiny figure on the floor with the very tip of her finger. "Wake up Lily."

Lily stirred and shook her tiny head, as if clearing her vision. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at Emily.

Lily screamed.

"Lily!" Emily said quietly, trying not to hurt her friend's now-tiny ears. "It's ok, it's just me." She cupped her hand behind Lily and scooped her up. Lily clung to her thumb.

"Professor Slughorn!" Emily cried, Lily covered her tiny ears. "Lily's been shrunk!"

Remus, James, and Sirius all hurried over and peered into Emily's hand fearfully. Peter tried to look too, but he couldn't squeeze in.

Professor Slughorn hurried over and shoved James and Sirius away to make space for his huge belly. He lifted his spectacles and peered down at Lily.

"Hello Professor!" she yelled and waved at him with her entire arm.

Oh goodness," Slughorn blinked a few times, "she's tiny!"

"What can we do?" Remus asked. "How do we restore her to her normal size?"

Emily bit her lip. The whole class was gathered around by now.

"Well," Slughorn sighed, "she'll just have to wait until it fades. She'll be small for 12 to 24 hours."

"24 HOURS?" Lily shrieked. "No way. You have to fix me—"

"Miss Brown, you and Miss Evans are dismissed," Slughorn said, giving Emily a gentle push towards the door. "Take her to the hospital wing."

"Ok," Emily pulled Lily closer to her chest and walked quietly out of the dungeon.

The moment the door shut behind her she burst into laughter.

"Oh—my—god," she gasped, between laughs, "Lily you're three inches tall!"

Lily glared up at her and put her hands on her tiny hips, "Thanks for telling me. I never would have noticed.

Emily put her free hand over her nose to stifle a snort. Lily grinned a _little_.

Emily laughed all the way to the hospital wing, and Lily had trouble containing her own laughs. Emily's moods were contagious, even when you were three inches tall.

"Madame Pomphrey!" Emily called. "Lily got shrunk!"

Madame Pomphrey came bustling out of her office. She peering into Emily's outstretched hand sadly.

"Ah," she said, "I get one of these every year."

She reached in her pocket, pulled out a small chunk of chocolate, and handed it delicately to Lily. Lily had to wrap her arms around it to hold it. She quickly set it down, grabbed a small hunk of it piece, and took a large bite.

"Miss Evans," Madame Pomphrey addressed her, "your physical reactions will be a little exaggerated until you get used to being small. For example, should you sneeze, you will be unable to keep your balance, and fall over."

Emily chuckled and placed Lily and her chocolate on one of the pillows of the hospital bed. Lily crossed her legs Indian style and continued to munch on the chocolate. '_Oh well_,' she thought as she chewed, ' _I might as well make the best of this._'

The hospital wing doors flew open with a bang. Lily jumped in surprise and fell off the pillow onto the soft sheets. Emily laughed and extended a finger to help Lily stand.

All four of the marauders ran over to them, a different expression on each face, but all looking out of breath.

Remus looked worried; he peered down at Lily as she picked herself back up and fixed her hair.

James looked like he wanted to laugh but was afraid that Lily would get mad; Sirius was laughing, like Emily, and Peter looked like he didn't know _what_ had happened.

Remus kneeled next to the bed, "Lily?"

She climbed across the hills in the bed sheets to get to his face,

"Remus," she said, her hands on her hips, "I'm fine. I've decided to make the best of this. I'm not going to get upset, I'm just going to….." she struggled on the words for a moment, waving her hands in the air, "You know, have fun!" She leaned forward and placed a big kiss on the tip of his nose.

Remus laughed and scooped Lily up into his hands and she squealed with surprise. She clutched his pinky finger, as she was able to wrap her arms all the way around it.

"So it about time for lunch," said Sirius, "Shall we?"

As they left the hospital wing Madame Pomphrey yelled, "Now be careful with her, you lot!"

Emily waved happily to her, and the infirmary doors swung shut.

* * *

Lily stood on her tiptoes to see over the rim of the goblet she was currently standing in. 

The Gryffindor table was covered with food and tableware that, to Lily, looked positively colossal. There were pieces of chicken the size of a muggle car, forks with tongs almost longer than her body, and bowls of soup as big as a swimming pool.

Lily waved her arm out of the goblet, trying to catch someone's attention.

"Emily? James? Sirius? REMUS!"

Suddenly a hand entered her small space and she squealed. The hand tried its hardest to make some kind of platform for her to stand on and she held on best she could.

The hand, she soon discovered, was attached to an arm, which was attached to Sirius Black. He set her down on the table and barked a laugh.

"Want something to eat Lily?" Emily leaned down close and peered at her with one eye. "A bit of potato?"

"No, but thanks Emmie," Lily made a face. "I'd rather not attempt to eat a giant hunk of potato with my face. I'll just explore."

Lily pranced around across the table to James and Remus; she had to shimmy between to large bowls to get there.

She climbed over a closed butter dish and sat down on Remus' napkin.

"Hi!" she chirped happily; she was actually having fun being tiny. It was quite thrilling.

"Hello Lily," Remus and James grinned at her, "having fun are you?"

"Oh yes," she said energetically. "It's exhilarating."

A brown haired girl appeared behind Remus and exclaimed, "Lily?"

"Hi Natalia!" Lily cried cheerfully, "How are you?"

Natalia looked shocked, "I'm fine. But you're _tiny_!"

"Oh it's fine," Lily waved away Natalia's concern with her hand. "Its actually very fun."

"Lily!" Emily said from the other side of the table. "I made you a present!"

Lily turned away from James, Remus and Natalia to look up at Emily's face. Emily waved a small folded piece of paper in the air.

Upon closer inspection, Lily saw that the paper was folded into the shape of a small boat. She peered around the food on the table and saw a bowl that, if she was correct, Sirius and Emily had filled with water.

She clapped her hands and scurried back across the table.

After she has squeezed around a plate of chicken, Sirius reached out and picked her up, very carefully, under the arms. Her feet were dangling so she kicked them and laughed.

Sirius set her very carefully in the napkin-boat, which Lily was sure Emily had waterproofed, and moved his hand away slowly. Emily handed Lily a shrunken spoon, Lily laughed again and began to paddle herself around the bowl.

A smile was growing on Natalia's face, as she watched the miniscule red-head float around a bowl full of water.

It was then that Lily noticed what Natalia was holding.

It was a sandwich but it looked slightly cooked, browned and crispy, and there was something that looked like cheese oozing out the sides.

She opened her mouth, but James following her gaze, spoke first.

"What _is_ that Natalia?"

She grinned hugely.

"A grilled cheese sandwich of course!" she displayed the sandwich with a flourish and slowly took a bite, as if teasing them. "Mmmmm…"

"OH MY GOSH!" Emily yelled, causing the first years near her to jump, "GRILLED CHEESE?"

"YES!" Natalia squealed back to her and Emily vaulted herself over the table to stand next to her. Sirius's hand flashed out and grabbed Lily out of her boat to keep her safe.

Emily and Natalia grabbed each other's hands and shrieked happily, jumping up and down. Natalia handed Emily half of the sandwich and Emily took a large bite.

Lily, James, Remus and Sirius, meanwhile, were staring at them looking very confused.

"Emily, honey," James put a hand on Emily's arm, "what's so exciting about a sandwich?"

"Its not just any sandwich," Natalia reprimanded him. "It's a _grilled cheese _sandwich."

Sirius was very puzzled.

Then, quite suddenly, there was a loud clatter, a scraping and clanging of people leaving their seats and exiting the great hall.

"Oh," said Natalia, "its time for class. I'll see you lot later then!" And she skipped off towards the Ravenclaw table to collect her things.

Emily scooped Lily up from the table and held her in her cupped hand. She reached for her bag but Sirius grabbed it first. She grinned at him.

They walked to the end of the long table and met with James Remus and Peter and the group set off through the huge doors of the hall.

As they reached the top of the marble staircase, however, a tall figure stopped their progress.

"Where is Lily?" Amos said, his voice cool, but obviously covering menace. He crossed his arms.

Emily held out her cupped hands. "She got shrunk,"

Amos stared down at tiny Lily for a moment and turned very pale.

"H-how?"

"In potions. I accidentally kicked over my cauldron," Emily said sheepishly. She grinned uncertainly.

Amos stared at Lily for another moment before turning a violent shade of puce and lunging towards Emily, and grabbing her shoulders roughly.

"You idiot!" he yelled in her face, and she cried out in surprise, her fingers closing safely around Lily who shrieked, "Amos!"

Within the next few seconds a great many things happened. Sirius threw himself, shoulder first, into Amos's stomach, forcing him to let go of Emily and shoving him backwards. Sirius locked a hand around his throat, and began punching every part of Amos' body he could reach with his other. Emily stumbled backwards and James caught her, standing her back up and fishing Lily from her hand. Emily and Remus both pulled out their wands and pointed them at the fighting pair below them.

"Stop it!" Lily screamed from James's hand. "Amos, leave him alone!"

Amos's fist connected with Sirius's jaw with a loud crack. Emily jerked suddenly and cried, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Amos's legs and arms snapped to his sides and he rolled so that he lay flat on the floor.

Sirius touched his face gingerly and Emily knelt beside him.

Lily looked up at James and called to him, "I need to say something to Amos. Put me on the floor,"

He looked at her skeptically for a moment and she said, "James, I'll be fine." She patted his thumb reassuringly.

He rolled his eyes but placed her on the floor near Diggory's head. She walked up beside his ear and whispered something rather venomously into it.

She walked away from him suddenly and ran over to where Sirius and Emily were kneeling on the floor. Sirius's face was bloodied, and Emily looked very worried.

"Sirius, are you ok?" Lily put her hands on his kneecap and looked up at his face. There was a large purple bruise blooming around his eye.

"Oh, I'll be fine," he waved his free hand around airily. Emily grabbed it and stood, pulling him with her.

"We're going to the hospital wing," she says firmly, "You lot go to class. We'll come later."

Sirius looked down at Lily. "Sorry for socking your boyfriend. I—"

Lily held up a miniscule hand and he stopped.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore. You can whip his arse for all I care."

Sirius would have grinned if his jaw wasn't so painful. Emily took his hand again and started to pull him down the corridor.

"We'll see you lot later," she said. "Come _on _Sirius!"

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so that was the longest chapter so far. The next chapter is defiantly not as long, so don't bug me about it when I post it **

**And sorry about the Grilled Cheese thing. Its an inside joke. xD**


	10. Chapter 10: Can't

**A/N: Ahh, I'm sorry this took so long! I've been really busy with school, finals and such, and I've had this sitting around un-beta'd for a long time. But I have a wonderfully fabulous new Beta, Miss Ellarose C who beta'd two chapters for me in under two hours.**

Last Chapter:

_Sirius looked down at Lily. "Sorry for socking your boyfriend. I—" _

"He's not my boyfriend anymore. You can whip his arse for all I care."

Sirius would have grinned if his jaw wasn't so painful. Emily took his hand again and started to pull him down the corridor.

"We'll see you lot later," she said. "Come on Sirius!" 

Chapter Ten: Can't

"Back again so soon, Miss Br—oh!"

Madame Pompfrey put her hands on her faces and rushed over to the pair when she saw Sirius's blood-spattered face.

"Mr. Black, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands for a moment before leading him to the nearest bed and making him sit on it.

She examined his face and set about charming; obviously, this wasn't the first time she'd had to do this. The cuts and his jawbone soon healed. She siphoned off the leftover blood with her wand.

"I don't expect I need to tell you that your face will feel bruised for a few hours," she said casually, "but you two may be on your way." She waved them out of the hospital wing doors.

As soon as the doors were shut, Emily groaned and turned to her companion.

"Well now that that's over with. What class do we have now?"

Sirius grinned mischievously. "How about 'none'?" he said, laughing. Her face broke into a smile.

"Fancy a stroll by the lake, Mr. Black?" Emily said in a very 'proper' voice, bowing in an old-fashioned manner.

"I would love to, Miss Brown," Sirius replied in the same formal tone and offered her his arm.

They continued to banter in this fashion until they reached the shore of the lake. Emily pulled her arm from Sirius's and sat down at the very edge of the water. She pulled off her socks and stuck her feet in. Sirius sat down beside her.

Her playful mood slowly evaporated as she stared across the ripples of the lake. They sat quietly, simply enjoying each other's company, until Emily broke the silence.

"Sirius?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Yes, love?"

She blushed slightly and said, "Do you… do you think I'm pretty?"

Sirius was startled by this question. Why wouldn't he think she was pretty? She was gorgeous! He gaped at her for a moment, and she looked at him curiously with those beautiful brown eyes that made his heart pound every time he looked into them.

"Of course I do, Ems! We all do. Remus, James, Lily, Peter…" He took her hand in his, "Why? Did someone say something to you?" he added fiercely, clenching his teeth slightly without realizing. "Who was it?"

"Oh, no!" She looked a little startled and she squeezed his hand ever so slightly. "No, no one said anything. I was just wondering." She looked down at their entwined fingers.

"You are so confusing, Emmy," he sighed.

She looked up at him again, clearly puzzled. "What are you on about?" The corners of her mouth curved up in a slight smile.

"Well…" He sighed again. "All girls are confusing. They can be so wonderful, and stunning and talented, and still be so insecure about themselves. I don't understand why,"  
The left side of Emily's mouth was pulled up in a bitter kind of smile.

"And what exactly makes me so wonderful and talented and stunning?" she said. "I'm sure I can't see it myself."

"Well you're bloody good at Quidditch. We're best damn Beaters in the history of Hogwarts, if I do say so myself."

She laughed softly.

"What else?" she asked warmly. He noticed that her eyes were sparkling and felt a knot in his throat. He gulped.

"Well," he started, "You're very attractive, as if that wasn't already obvious…" She giggled softly. "You're intelligent, you're a good friend-"

"And I bet I could whoop your arse in a fight to boot," she cut in with a laugh, breaking the tension.

"Oh yeah? You think?" he teased. "Want to try it? Right here, right now?"

"You're on!" they both stood up and shook hands.

Emily grinned widely and put one foot back, holding her hands up, in the classic fighting pose. Sirius stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned back at her.

"What, you're not gonna fight back?" she teased him. She whipped out her wand and conjured a wooden sword from thin air. She jabbed it at his stomach and cried, "Have at thee!"

He dodged it and laughed, conjuring his own. They fenced with the wooden weapons, laughing heartily. But that didn't last for very long.

Soon, Emily had thrown aside her useless weapon and tried to tackle him, throwing punches that he caught deftly with his hands. After he caught one that she though had been particularly tricky, she squealed in frustration. She moved in close to his face, so their noses were almost touching and glared at him, her left fist still enclosed in his hand.

Sirius took a breath, not knowing the consequences. The moment he opened his mouth, he caught the scent of Emily's body and the world began to spin. Her proximity made him dizzy, and he suddenly lost his balance.

Her hand slipped from his and the warmth of her body left him as he fell backwards. He landed on the grass with a thud. He groaned and put a hand to his temple.

"Oh my gosh!" Emily gasped, "Siri, are you ok?" She bent over him and looked into his face.

Sirius squinted up into her beautiful face, framed by sunlight. She looked worried. Sirius, being the funny guy that he was, decided to lighten the mood a little. He got into a crouching position, acting like he was still hurt, and swung his leg around so it knocked her off her feet.

She shrieked loudly and flew forwards, landing on top of him. They both grunted at the impact.

"Sirius!" Emily cried, putting her hands on his face. "I'm sorry! Are you ok?"

He groaned.

"Argh, I'm sorry," she lay her head down on his chest and acted as though she was making herself comfortable.

"Erm…. Emily?" Sirius said, looking down at the curly blonde head of hair on his chest.

"Yes?" she replied slowly, her voice muffled slightly by his robes.

"Are you planning on…_moving_….anytime soon?"

"No. I'm quite comfortable."

"Are you not noticing how, erm," he gulped, "_suggestive_ the position we're in is?"

"What? Suggestive?" She looked up at him, confused.

"Oh for the love of Merlin…." he muttered, and grabbed Emily's shoulders and, swiftly and carefully, rolled over to switch their positions. Her arms were up beside her head, pinned by his hands, and his knees were straddling her hips.

"Do you honestly not see _anything_ at all _strange_ about this?" he asked her dubiously.

She stared at him with wide eyes, her beautiful mouth slightly open in shock.

"You see, I could pretty much do anything I want to you right now," he said, raising an eyebrow, "even if you don't want me too."

She finally spoke, "L-like what?" 

"Well," he said, pretending to be thoughtful, "I could tickle you until you cry." he smirked.

She gasped. "You wouldn't. Besides, you'd need a free hand for that."

"Hmm," he thought for another moment. "I expect your right. How about… this?" and he leaned down and licked her cheek.

"EWW!" she cringed away and squeezed her eyes shut. "that was gross, Sirius."

"Now let's see…" He pretended to be thoughtful again, but underneath he was suppressing a sudden terror of what he would say next:

"I suppose I could kiss you if I wanted."

She stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" she whispered, her mouth moving soundlessly before forming the word.

"I could kiss you," he gulped, "if I wanted too."

"Oh." She looked a little crestfallen. "Do you want to?"

Without giving her an answer, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

The moment their lips touched, Sirius felt a bolt of electricity run through him. Every second was thrilling him beyond belief; he had been waiting for this for years. 

He hadn't really known before, that he wanted this. He had only realized a few weeks ago that he liked her, but now, he knew that this is what he had been longing for. She was what he had been longing for.

His abrupt kiss startled her, but after a moment she began kissing him back hungrily. It was all she could do to lean her head up into his, because his hands still pinned hers.

Slowly, Sirius rolled to the side, pulling Emily with him so that she was lying on him again. He released her hands, and slid his around her waist and pulled her tighter to him.

Her hands were in his hair, messing with it, combing it through her fingers; on his face, pulling him closer; on his shoulder, clutching his cloak…

Then, suddenly, she was gone.

Sirius wrenched his eyes open and looked around. She was there, a few feet from him, scrambling away as fast as she could.

"Emily?" He reached out and grabbed her ankle. "Emily what's wrong?"

She looked back at him with wild, terrified eyes.

"Emily?" he asked her gently; she closed her eyes and shook her head fiercely.

"No, no, I can't…." she whispered.

"What?"

"I can't Sirius!" she cried suddenly. "I _can't_!"

"Emily!" he cried as she wrenched her ankle from his grasp and fled to the castle.

**A/N: Please Review! I really appreciate you feedback. And if you see any typos or mistakes, please let me know and I'll try to fix them as soon as possible.  
If you have any questions for me, visit my ask the author page! I love answering your questions!**


	11. Chapter 11: Understand

A/N: oh gosh

**A/N: oh gosh. I'm nervous about this chapter. If some of you think that Emily was being too dramatic for her reasoning, I will understand. lol. Sorry if the spacing is a little funky**

Last Chapter:

_"No, no, I can't…." she whispered. _

_"What?" _

_"I can't Sirius!" she cried suddenly. "I can't!" _

_"Emily!" he cried as she wrenched her ankle from his grasp and fled to the castle._

Chapter Eleven: Understand

Lily scratched her face absently.

She was lying on her stomach on Remus's desk as he took notes for the both of them. Occasionally she would mention something that she wanted him to write down ("Remus! Write that down!") and he would oblige ("Calm down Lily! I already did!").

James tossed a note across the row to Remus. Lily flattened herself against the desk to avoid it. Remus caught the note deftly without looking up.

"James Potter!" she hissed, teasingly angry. "You knocked me down!"

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry Lily-Bean," he whispered back, "I suppose I'll just have to put you in a safer place then." He grinned wickedly.

"What do you-oomph!" Lily started to say, but James swiped Lily off the desk and slid her carefully into his shirt pocket.

"Hey!" she laughed, trying to climb out of the white-cloth pouch. She let out a shriek as she felt James begin to stand, and she fell down. She crossed her legs and clutched the seam of the shirt to keep herself steady as James walked.

"James?" she called after a few minutes of walking. "Where are we going?"

He simply chuckled, his chest rumbling behind Lily's back. She was soothed by both his steady rocking gait and the low-pitched sound, and within minutes she was snoozing happily.

* * *

Out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw James peer down into his pocket to look at Lily. He smiled.

Suddenly Remus heard a muted wail.

"Emily?" he said sharply.

After a moment he saw Emily walking hurriedly towards them down the corridor, apparently not seeing them. The moment he had called her name, she looked up.

Her eyes were looking reddish and a tear was sneaking down her face. She blanched at the sight of them and promptly turned around and dashed the other direction.

Remus shot off after her, chasing her around the corner, and reaching out his arm to grab her. He managed to snag her robe with the tips of his outstretched fingers.

When James whipped around the corner, Remus was attempting to keep hold of her, and she was struggling so wildly against his grip that her feet were not touching the floor.

"Remus!" she growled, "Let me GO!"

When he ignored her request, she let forth a feral sort of snarl and shoved roughly against his chest.

"Emily!" Remus said forcefully, "please, calm down!"

James held her still by her upper arms while Remus held her head to his chest. She stilled as he whispered in her ear. Lily gave a frightened little squeak from James' pocket.

"Emily, sweetheart, what's wrong? Please, tell me honey…" he put his face in her hair, and she wrapped her arms around him in response.James pulled Lily from his pocket and she sat in the palm of his hand, looking worriedly at her blonde friend.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, taking a deep shuddering breath. "I—well, I just—Sirius—"

"Sirius?" James asked sharply.

Lily's brow furrowed and her jaw clenched. "What's he done to you?"

Her eyes filled with tears again. "He….."

Suddenly from around the corner at the other end of the corridor came a cry of "Emily!"

She whipped around in Remus's arms, eyes wide, to face towards the sound. In the same second that Sirius appeared, she raced away and was out of sight, a small cry escaping her lips.

"Emily!" Sirius called. He attempted to race after her, but his way was blocked by two very angry seventeen-year-old boys and one three-inch-tall red-haired girl.

"Sirius," Remus said, his voice dangerously calm, "What happened to Emily?"

"I don't know!" Sirius was fidgeting anxiously and trying to get past them.

"What do you mean _you don't know_?" James asked incredulously. "You've done something to her!"

"Well, I kissed her." He stopped his restless movement and looked James right in the eyes. "And she kissed me back."

"Then _why _is she _crying_?" Remus said, his anger abating every so slightly. "I'm afraid I don't understand Sirius. Please, elaborate."

As Sirius explained, Remus and James visibly relaxed.

"Bloody hell," James said, "I thought you'd hurt her. She was really mad…."

"Never!" Sirius growled.

"You need to find her," Remus said suddenly. "Go!"

Sirius sped off down the corridor without a backward glance.

* * *

Emily ran.

She wrenched herself out of Remus's comforting arms and flew around the corner, heading for the Gryffindor common room. She hoped Remus and James would deter Sirius for a while.

She wiped more tears out of her eyes as she sprinted up to the Fat Lady. She attempted to say the password, but was gasping so violently that she couldn't. The Fat Lady seemed to take pity on her and her portrait swung open. Emily scrambled into the common room.

It seemed like the moment she set foot inside she heard someone cry her name and she whipped around; it was Sirius.

She didn't have time to wonder how he had caught up so quickly and made a dash for the girls' dormitories. She would be safe there.

* * *

Sirius sprinted across the common room after Emily, skidding to a halt as she sprinted up the girls' staircase.

He paused for a fraction of a second before running flat out towards the stairs where Emily's feet were disappearing. He took a flying leap towards her, his hands flying wildly and trying to grab the handrail, or Emily's pant leg. She screamed and dashed into her dormitory. When his body hit the steps, they immediately turned into a long smooth slide with a high-pitched shriek and Sirius slid back down to the common room with a groan.

He turned around to see the whole common room staring at him.

"Anyone got a broom?" he yelled desperately. "Please?"

"Sirius!" Jessie called and tossed her broom to him. He caught it.

"Thanks!" he said, running to the window. He threw it open, climbed on the broom, and flew outside.

* * *

Emily pressed her back into the door. She stared across the room, in shock at what Sirius had just done. Had he just _throw_ _himself_ up the stairs after _her_?

Her stomach clenched. _'What is wrong with me?'_ She ran to her bed and curled up on it, wrapping her arms around her knees. She whacked herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand.

'_Why did you run? Stupid stupid stupid!_' she berated herself, '_Why do I have to be so melodramatic?_'

* * *

Sirius sped through the cold autumn air for a moment, broom in hand, letting the wind whip his hair back from his face. He closed his eyes.

Then suddenly he snapped awake and swung the broom sharply around, and shot back towards the castle.

He slowed to a stop when he returned to the Gryffindor tower. He peered in windows, trying to find the seventh year girls' dorms. Finally…

He rapped his knuckles against the window. The soft mumbling from inside stopped abruptly.

"Emily!" he called, his nose touching the glass, "Please Emily, I need to talk to you!"

He heard a quickly stifled groan from inside.

With a frustrated sigh, he whipped his wand out and cried, "_Alohomora_!" As he leapt into the room, Emily let out a cute little squeak and covered her face with her hands.

"Emily?" he said softly as he approached her. "Sweetheart?" He lifted his hands and gently pried her hands away from her face. She looked at the floor.

"Emily?" Still holding onto her wrists, he sat down beside her. "Why?"

"I don't know," she sighed, "I think I'm… afraid."

"Afraid? Of me?" he asked, his heart thumping against his ribcage.

"No—well, not really—not _of _you, more like—sort of like, um…" she stammered, pulling her wrist from his grasp and pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers.

"Is there…. someone else?" he asked quietly.

"No!" she exclaimed frantically. "There most definitely is _not_ anyone else."

"Then what in the world is wrong?" he asked her desperately. "I _need_ to understand."

She quickly wiped away her tears and looked into his eyes.

"When you kissed me I actually got really scared," she said, grimacing slightly. "It all felt so weird. Even though it's something I've been waiting for," she added quickly, "I mean, I've never kissed anyone before and it was a really new experience for me. I—" He cut her off.

"Emily," he said gently. "I was your first kiss?"

She blushed.

"Well, yes," she said, looking at the floor bashfully. "I've never really taken an interest in anyone before you. There was never anyone," she finished simply.

"So you do fancy me?" he interjected hopefully. She smiled.

"Well, I suppose," she said.

He let his face fall. "Then why did you run away?"

She imitated his movement, her face falling out of her light teary smile.

"I'm afraid of what might happen," she said solemnly. "I'm afraid to fall in love."

Sirius was confused. "You mean you're afraid of a relationship…?"

"Oh! No," she said. "First of all, I've never experienced anything like this before in my life. I don't really know what to do, at all." She smiled sheepishly. "I know you're going to say that you don't care about that, but I was nervous.

"I'm afraid of being alone as well. What if you decide you don't love me anymore? What if you—" she took a deep breath, "_die? _How could I_ live _though that?" Then she choked on her tears.

"Oh, Emily," he said lovingly, gathering her into his arms as she started crying again.

"That's all?" he asked, peering down at her. "You think I'm going to die? You can't really believe I'm that fragile."

"No!" she giggled tearily, "No, no, no. But what if you get attacked? What if you get hurt? The Wizarding world has been getting more dangerous by the day!" She bit her lip.

"Emily!" he chuckled, "I'm going to go into _Auror_ training! We're all in Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts! We are all going to watch out for each other constantly. What could possibly happen?"

"You're so confident," she sighed. "You're wonderful." She lifted a hand, placed it on his face, and kissed his cheek.

Suddenly she pulled away and blushed furiously. "Sorry," she muttered hastily.

Shaking his head slowly, he lifted his hand to _her_ face and tilted her head up. She looked at him with anxious eyes.

"No," he whispered softly, lifting his other hand to her face. "Don't be."

He leaned forward slowly and touched his lips very carefully to hers.

He kept his eyes open long enough to see her eyelids flutter shut before letting his own eyes close.

This kiss was different. Their first kiss had been hungry, hasty and passionate. This kiss was soft and tender. To Sirius, it was beautiful. He held her soft face gingerly in his hands as he kissed her, so afraid that she would change her mind, run away again. He felt a sudden surge of emotion come over him and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He knew in that moment that from now on he would keep her, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


	12. Chapter 12: Announcement of Sorts

**A/N: oh my gosh. I am SO sorry for the gigantic wait, I have been working to the other fic, and life has been busy. Please read my other fic too, I like it a little more than this one. **

**REVIEW. Especially if this story is in your alert or faves.**

Last Chapter:

_This kiss was different. Their first kiss had been hungry, hasty and passionate. This kiss was soft and tender. To Sirius, it was beautiful. He held her soft face gingerly in his hands as he kissed her, so afraid that she would change her mind, run away again. He felt a sudden surge of emotion come over him and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He knew in that moment that from now on he would keep her, and there was nothing anyone could do about it._

Chapter Twelve: Announcement of Sorts

Emily sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes. She ran a hand through her hair, blinked blearily and fell backwards onto her bed with a cry of surprise.

"Hello beautiful," Sirius laughed, "Did I startle you?"

"Well," she giggled hesitantly, "Um, yes, I supposed you did." He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"So," she mumbled, twisting her fingers into his, "I… fell asleep?"

"Yes," he murmured back, kissing her cheek tenderly, "It was quite adorable. After we kissed I was talking to you and I looked over and you were sleeping."

"Oh dear," she blushed, "I'm sorry. How long did I sleep for?"

"An hour or so. Lily came in to check on you."

"She's normal sized again? Ha!" Emily laughed, "What did you do the whole time?"

"Oh nothing much," he grinned, "Read your diary, tried on your bras…"

"Oh stop it," she laughed, swiping at his head with a free hand, "You're terrible."

"And you're beautiful." He kissed her cheek again, "Ma belle fille."

"_What_?" she asked, her brow crinkling, "is that _French_?"

"Yes, it's French. I was taught when I was younger. It's a pureblood thing." He grinned at her.

"Wow…" her eyes glazed over for a moment before she exclaimed, "Ooh, say something else!"

He cleared his throat, "Je veux passer la reste de ma vie avec vous."

˝Aw!" Emily giggled, "That sounds so pretty. What does it mean?"

He kissed her chin softly, "What does what mean?"

"You know what I mean! What you said in French!"

"What did I say in French?"

"Ugh!" Emily groaned and fell back onto her bed, "You're still terrible." She informed him. He lay down beside her and kissed her cheek again.

"You know, you really kiss me quite a lot. _Already_."

"Well, you're just going to have to get used to that," he mumbled into her cheek, "I like kissing you."

"Mmm. I like that you like kissing me," she sighed back.

They lay simply holding each other for a moment, before the door of the dormitory swung open. Lily smiled at them and quickly tied off her half finished braid.

"Hi guys!" she grinned, flipping the braid behind her shoulder, "I know you are having some special lovey-dovey time, but I really need a shower. So get out." She raised an arm and pointed down the staircase.

Emily giggled and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. Lily scowled and stomped away into the bathroom.

Sirius sat up with a small grunt and reached back to pull Emily up with him. They started stumbling towards the door when Emily stopped.

"Wait a minute Sirius," she told him, "I have to get some spare clothes and a clean towel out for Lily. She always forgets. Just turn your back to the bathroom door so she doesn't get upset when I open it." She giggled slightly then skipped over to the armoire that was practically drowning in Gryffindor-colored objects. The one Lily and Emily obviously shared.

She yanked open the top drawer and dug around for some clothes. When she found them, she skipped over to the bathroom door, where she paused and opened an odd compartment in the wall where lay an abundance of fluffy scarlet and gold towels. As she pulled one of them out, Sirius heard Lily swear loudly from within the bathroom. Emily giggled again and knocked softly on the door, the clothes and towel tucked under her arm.

"Emily?" Lily called.

"Yes, I brought you some clothes and a towel. I know how you always forget."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" Lily opened the door a fraction, and steam poured out into the dormitory, "I just realized what I was missing. I take it you heard me swear?" she giggled, peeking out the door.

"Yes," Emily replied solemnly, "You best not do it again!" Then she laughed.

Lily laughed with her, accepting the bundle and tucking it under her own arm, "Thank you. You don't know how helpless I would be without you."

"You are very welcome. And I know that you would probably suffocate, because I wouldn't be there reminding you to breathe." Then she bounced forward, kissed Lily's cheek and skipped back to Sirius calling, "Have a lovely shower!" Lily laughed in response and shut the door.

Sirius took her hand and entwined their fingers. She smiled.

"Are we going to tell them?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Tell who?" Sirius asked, confused, "And what are we telling them?"

"Remus, James, Peter…?" she listed off as though this were obvious, "About _us_."

"Oh," He said shortly, "They kind of know already."

"And how exactly is that possible?" she squeaked in disbelief.

"When you were running away from me. They stopped me in the corridor. I had to tell them that we kissed!"

"Oh," she drew out the word, "so they don't know that we're 'official' yet?"

"What's the difference?"

"What's the _difference_? There is a huge difference mister Bla-AAAACK!"

In the middle of Emily's sentence, they had stepped out of the dormitory and into the hallway, and because Sirius is, in fact, a boy, the stairs became a long stone slide within an instant.

Emily latched onto Sirius, one arm in a death grip around his upper arm, the other hooked around his chest. He held tightly onto her waist and they both screamed as they sped down the winding staircase. When they landed in a heap at the bottom, they both burst into deafening laughter.

Upon seeing them, Remus chuckled and James let out a loud whoop and bounded over to the laughing couple.

"Feeling better Ems?" he asked, laughing. He extended a hand to her and she took it, letting herself be pulled into a standing position.

"Much," she grinned, "Sirius and I have reached a decision."

"Oh really now?" James feigned surprise, helping Emily pull Sirius to his feet, "What sort of decision?"

Emily shot him a jokingly skeptical look and turned to Remus.

"You explained your theories to him?"

Remus gave a regal sort of cough, "Yes." Emily laughed. James pouted.

"No fair Moony." He sulked, crossing his arms, "I wanted Emily to think I knew what was going on."

"What about me?" Sirius asked incredulously, wrapping his arms around Emily. She giggled.

"Well Padfoot, I'm not sure _you_ even know what's going on, so what's the point in making you think that _I_ know? Hey!" Emily made a swipe for his head and he ducked, laughing.

"Let me have my fun James." She stuck out her bottom lip. Sirius put his chin on her shoulder and pulled the same face.

James held his hands up in defeat, "all right, all right! Now what did you want to tell—?"

Emily cut him off with her shrill scream of, "WE'RE DATING!!" Half the people in the common room turned to look at her curiously.

"Right on mate!" James slapped Sirius a high-five. Sirius grinned, spun Emily around and pressed his face against hers.

"Mmph!" Emily squeaked in surprise, "Sirius…"

"Yes?" he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist. James chuckled.

"Um… never mind." She grinned against his lips and kissed him back. A third year sitting nearby pretended to gag. His friends laughed.

Sirius eyed the third years for a moment before beginning to exaggeratedly kiss Emily. She caught on immediately and joined in, running her hands through his hair until is strongly resembled James'. They were hardly even really kissing; more like slobbering on each other's faces. The desired effect was achieved however; the third years looked disgusted.

Sirius walked Emily backward towards the sofa and they collapsed onto it still keeping up their exaggerated snog session. Emily gave a hugely fake moan and Sirius snickered into the kiss.

Then suddenly Emily was pulled from Sirius' embrace. She squealed loudly and he looked up to see her being dragged away by a good-naturedly disgruntled looking Remus.

"Get a room you prats." He grumbled "You're scaring the first years."

James covered his face with his fingers and said, "Yeah, virgin eyes here."

Emily punched his arm.

"Yeah sure," Sirius piped up, "We'll get a room when you shut up about bloody Lil—" he suddenly stopped when a certain redhead came bounding down the stairs. James blushed violently.

"James!" she called, jogging across the common room towards them, waving a rolled-up piece of parchment in the air. "I've just gotten a letter from Professor Dumbledore. Wants us in his office as soon as possible. No rush though," she added pointing to the post-script at the bottom of the parchment, slightly out of breath.

James simply blinked for a moment before saying, "What about?"

"No idea," she shrugged.

There was a pause in which Sirius pulled Emily back to the sofa.

"Shall we go then?" Lily suggested awkwardly.

"Not without me you don't!" Emily proclaimed, leaping up. She pranced to the portrait hole, and then turned to them. "What are you guys waiting for? Let's go!" She drew out the "L" sound and made and exaggerated beckoning motion with her arm.

___

"Professor Dumbledore?" James knocked cautiously on the door at the top of the moving staircase. Lily peeked around him at the door.

"Come in Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," The Headmaster called from within. The door swung open and they filed in.

Dumbledore was standing in the far corner of his office, stroking his magnificent red bird.

"Amazing creatures, Phoenixes." He said tranquilly.

"Oh, they're incredible!" Lily agreed earnestly as she and James took their seats, "The healing properties of the tears, the use of their feathers as wand cores, their regeneration…"

"I see you've done you're homework," Dumbledore smiled, "Well done Miss Evans." He nodded to her. She beamed.

"You wanted to speak to us Professor?" James asked curiously.

"Why yes actually," he took a seat behind his desk and steepled (is steepled even a word?) his fingers.

"As you probably are not aware of, every seven years Hogwarts holds a series of Formal Balls, in honor of certain holidays."

"Yes!" James exclaimed, "My parent's told me about that."

"Precisely Mr. Potter," Dumbledore smiled, "It has been seven years since the last Ball year."

Lily gave an excited, "Ooh!"

"Now as Head Boy and Girl you are required to present the Balls and help set them up. You may, for example, oversee the decorating," he nodded towards Lily, "Or perhaps schedule an appropriate musical group." He nodded to James who grinned widely, "Of course, all final decisions fall upon myself, but I rather enjoy having the students help."

"How many Balls will there be Professor?" Lily asked breathlessly.

"Let me see…" Dumbledore adjusted his spectacles and inspected a piece of parchment on his desk, "Halloween, Winter Holidays, Valentines Day, a more casual Spring dance, and of course, the yearly Seventh Year only, Graduation Ball. The Halloween Ball is to be a masquerade, or a costume party."

He looked up with twinkling eyes to the exhilaration in Lily's face and the poorly concealed enthusiasm in James's. "It will take place in two weeks, on Halloween night. Good luck, you may go." They jumped up and scrambled out the door, calling out rushed _Thank you Professor_'s to him.

James practically skipped down the spiral staircase, hardly able to contain his excitement; the school having Holiday Balls meant having to get a date which meant he could ask Lily!

Dumbledore had said that they were to 'present' the balls, whatever that meant. James wasn't particularly sure, but he hoped it meant that he and Lily would be paired up in some way.

As soon as he stumbled past the gargoyle, which jumped aside for them, he nearly tripped over a blonde girl who was lying on the floor. As he regained his balance she looked up at him expectantly. "Well?" she asked him. He grinned.

"Balls." He said simply. She made an exaggeratedly offended face.

"Well _that's _not very polite," she admonished him. Sirius, who was sitting nearby, barked a laugh.

"No! No, that's not what I meant." James grimaced. "I—" he cut off as Lily stepped out from behind the gargoyle.

"We're going to have balls this year!" she squealed excitedly. Sirius and Emily opened their mouths simultaneously but she lifted one finger and said, "Don't even. That's not what I meant."

Remus sniggered and Emily glared at him.

"We are going to have Formal Balls this year," Lily said slowly, with the air of one explaining to a small child that grass is not to be eaten, "Big fancy parties. With music And _dancing_."

Emily squeaked excitedly and threw her arms around James' knees. He tried not to fall over.

"There's to be quite a number of them actually," Lily said, "and James and I are to plan them!"

Emily squealed eagerly and buried her face in James' kneecaps. He wobbled dangerously and Lily put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Professor Dumbledore says we get to choose the _musical group_," James grinned excitedly at Sirius who promptly crowed, "Excellent!"

"There's even going to be one for Halloween! Dumbledore said it has to be a Masquerade!" Lily clapped her hands, "I'm so excited."

"Oooooh!" Emily jumped up from the floor, "You mean we get to wear costumes?" Lily nodded enthusiastically and Emily jumped up and down.

"Anyway, I'm starved," James said, rubbing his stomach, "isn't it time for dinner?"

"Way to change the subject," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I believe so," Lily checked her watch, "Yes, it's nearly seven."

As everyone turned to leave Emily said, "Sirius?" he turned and looked at her quizzically.

She raised her eyebrows and smirked devilishly, "Come here?" she beckoned with one finger. Sirius grinned widely and hurried to her side.

"Yes?" he drew out the word and smirked, but she just watched their friends walk away. As soon as they had rounded the corner she immediately shoved him against the wall and pressed her lips hard against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with just as much intensity. When she pulled back, panting, he raised an eyebrow at her, "That was random." She blushed.

"I wanted to kiss you!"

"Well good." He stepped away from the wall and bent to kiss her again and she tangled her hands in his hair. They continued in this vein for several minutes until they heard a polite cough. Sirius whipped around and when he saw Professor Dumbledore smiling at them he cracked a huge grin, "Why hello Professor! Fancy seeing you here, next to your office!"

Dumbledore chuckled, "Nice to see you too Mr. Black. Why don't you take Miss Brown and go to dinner? I hear there is going to be treacle tart for dessert."

Emily emerged from behind Sirius' back, her face still flushed in embarrassment by getting caught and said, "Oh my favorite! Let's go Sirius. Bye Professor!" and proceeded to drag Sirius down the hall.


End file.
